Frag Plugs: The demise of Western civilization, or a necessary evil? "Shut up Fellman."

[fungia_fiend]

What happened to patience? For those of you detesting the look of a plug in your tank the solution is very simple. give the coral a little time to grow. honestly plugs are tiny compared to mature coral and disappear within months in a healthy tank! Reefkeeping is a patient mans game! the more you embrace that philosophy the the less you will be concerned about things like this

This is true for your SPS, Adam, but not for the thinly encrusting stuff like montis, favites, etc. Some of the encrusters never cover the plug well enough. I like to chop up the plug for them and just glue down a few small pieces near each other (frag the frag plug and spread it out). That will usually grow in a little more natural.

 

[gooch]

You know I have a dog in this fight so I will tread lightly with my comments. In fact I will not talk too much about frag plugs at all. As our industry evolves at some point you have to stop blaming the parts of the hobby that have advanced and start looking at the parts of the hobby still stuck in the stone age. Or should I say rock age. We are getting real close to coral sustainability in the field of aquaculture. When I got into this hobby there was no such thing as a frag plug. We purchased our corals and they came on big pieces of rock that you either had to chisel off the coral to fit it in your aqua-scape or you added another big chunk of rock. Often times it led me at least to have to spend quite a bit of time redoing the tank to make it aesthetically pleasing. And this is back when rock actually had interesting shapes and sizes and actually had living things on them. Before you knew it even if you didn't want it you had that rock wall everyone laughs at now. So now we complain that a coral is too small or the frag plug it is mounted to sticks up an inch above my rock work. If you snap off the stem it is now a 1/4". Sure beats having to look for a nook for a one pound chunk of rock with a coral on it. A little creativity with some epoxy and the shape of the plug can easily be hidden. Yes sometimes it still shows after encrusting. Well then after enough of the coral encrusts why not pop it out and let it grow over the bare spot and either move the plug top to another area or pass it on to someone else. Like no one on here ever trades or sells corals?

Back to the structure and initial set up of your tank. I know some people plan out an aqua-scape and even have a set type of coral they want to focus on. Many change with the wind or season. One day they are sps freaks, then zoanuts or lps lovers. But if you know the majority of the coral you are going to purchase will be fragments why not do some pre-work and set up your rock-work accordingly. Or maybe look at other possibilities. One of my big questions is that if we are advancing as a hobby why are we still even using live-rock? I for one hate live-rock. There is no need for it to be removed from the ocean anymore. There are many alternatives. We have some pretty awesome looking man made rock being made by various sources out there. Why are we not as a community asking these companies to look into ways to appeal to the reefer, maybe adding rock with holes for frags to be placed. Seems to me a niche that could be filled. We preach sustainability but if you believe that piece of rock you have in your tank.....you know the one with the chisel marks in it was collected after a storm sustainably give me a break. Big problem with aqua-cultured rock is it is expensive. But not over the course of ten years it isn't. There are companies out there that can make you whatever you want. If you plan on doing all aqua cultured corals on mounts then have a structure made to accommodate it. Drill holes in your rock before you buy the coral. Go into your purchase with a plan.

If we really want to get on a soap box and rant about things lets take it from the ground up. We have come so far as a hobby but yet we still use live-rock that has been proven to not be a necessity. We have top of the line equipment that pretty soon will probably be able to extract waste from a fish before they do their duty. But we still push live-rock. And honestly the ones really making the money on live-rock are all the freight companies. Use it if you want but prepare it to take your corals ahead of time. If you do that you might actually get to a point where you praise the fact it is on a plug because it makes it easier to place it in the tank. Currently there are many products out there designed to hide the frag plug for those that dislike them. And the cost of these products is less than you think.

And like it or not it is not only in the western civilization, the frag plug has migrated to the far corners of the earth. Coral importers around the world are starting to fragment everywhere. Every week we get inquiries from other countries. The frag plug is becoming socially accepted no matter where you are. I wouldn't doubt soon most corals that come into the country will be on frag plugs. I also wouldn't doubt that this will happen to just be able to import corals in the very near future. IMO it is also partially responsible for the increase in popularity of our hobby. It has made the hobby more affordable for many people that always wanted a reef tank but things were always just out of budget. Smaller reef tanks have exploded in popularity and the small frag plug has helped pave the way. Sure the equipment has advanced and been the biggest leap forward but if a guy has a 20 gallon nano and we didn't offer fragments he would have far less coral diversity to choose from.

I could go on but maybe I should do it in my own forum.

Sorry Scott, I hear ya on your rant, I have acknowledged this rant numerous times and created many new products to help people that dislike the look. There are plenty of options out there for hobbyists and growers alike.

LONG LIVE THE FRAG PLUG!!!!!!!!

Scott
Alternative Reef

 

[uniquecorals]

You know I have a dog in this fight so I will tread lightly with my comments. In fact I will not talk too much about frag plugs at all. As our industry evolves at some point you have to stop blaming the parts of the hobby that have advanced and start looking at the parts of the hobby still stuck in the stone age. Or should I say rock age. We are getting real close to coral sustainability in the field of aquaculture. When I got into this hobby there was no such thing as a frag plug. We purchased our corals and they came on big pieces of rock that you either had to chisel off the coral to fit it in your aqua-scape or you added another big chunk of rock. Often times it led me at least to have to spend quite a bit of time redoing the tank to make it aesthetically pleasing. And this is back when rock actually had interesting shapes and sizes and actually had living things on them. Before you knew it even if you didn't want it you had that rock wall everyone laughs at now. So now we complain that a coral is too small or the frag plug it is mounted to sticks up an inch above my rock work. If you snap off the stem it is now a 1/4". Sure beats having to look for a nook for a one pound chunk of rock with a coral on it. A little creativity with some epoxy and the shape of the plug can easily be hidden. Yes sometimes it still shows after encrusting. Well then after enough of the coral encrusts why not pop it out and let it grow over the bare spot and either move the plug top to another area or pass it on to someone else. Like no one on here ever trades or sells corals?

Back to the structure and initial set up of your tank. I know some people plan out an aqua-scape and even have a set type of coral they want to focus on. Many change with the wind or season. One day they are sps freaks, then zoanuts or lps lovers. But if you know the majority of the coral you are going to purchase will be fragments why not do some pre-work and set up your rock-work accordingly. Or maybe look at other possibilities. One of my big questions is that if we are advancing as a hobby why are we still even using live-rock? I for one hate live-rock. There is no need for it to be removed from the ocean anymore. There are many alternatives. We have some pretty awesome looking man made rock being made by various sources out there. Why are we not as a community asking these companies to look into ways to appeal to the reefer, maybe adding rock with holes for frags to be placed. Seems to me a niche that could be filled. We preach sustainability but if you believe that piece of rock you have in your tank.....you know the one with the chisel marks in it was collected after a storm sustainably give me a break. Big problem with aqua-cultured rock is it is expensive. But not over the course of ten years it isn't. There are companies out there that can make you whatever you want. If you plan on doing all aqua cultured corals on mounts then have a structure made to accommodate it. Drill holes in your rock before you buy the coral. Go into your purchase with a plan.

If we really want to get on a soap box and rant about things lets take it from the ground up. We have come so far as a hobby but yet we still use live-rock that has been proven to not be a necessity. We have top of the line equipment that pretty soon will probably be able to extract waste from a fish before they do their duty. But we still push live-rock. And honestly the ones really making the money on live-rock are all the freight companies. Use it if you want but prepare it to take your corals ahead of time. If you do that you might actually get to a point where you praise the fact it is on a plug because it makes it easier to place it in the tank. Currently there are many products out there designed to hide the frag plug for those that dislike them. And the cost of these products is less than you think.

And like it or not it is not only in the western civilization, the frag plug has migrated to the far corners of the earth. Coral importers around the world are starting to fragment everywhere. Every week we get inquiries from other countries. The frag plug is becoming socially accepted no matter where you are. I wouldn't doubt soon most corals that come into the country will be on frag plugs. I also wouldn't doubt that this will happen to just be able to import corals in the very near future. IMO it is also partially responsible for the increase in popularity of our hobby. It has made the hobby more affordable for many people that always wanted a reef tank but things were always just out of budget. Smaller reef tanks have exploded in popularity and the small frag plug has helped pave the way. Sure the equipment has advanced and been the biggest leap forward but if a guy has a 20 gallon nano and we didn't offer fragments he would have far less coral diversity to choose from.

I could go on but maybe I should do it in my own forum.

Sorry Scott, I hear ya on your rant, I have acknowledged this rant numerous times and created many new products to help people that dislike the look. There are plenty of options out there for hobbyists and growers alike.

LONG LIVE THE FRAG PLUG!!!!!!!!

Scott
Alternative Reef

Hey Scott,

Honestly...not a problem. All of your points are 100% valid, and I'd obviously be the first to acknowledge this. My point is that they are simply an aesthetic issue for me, as outlined in the rant. And, like you, it's another one of those things I've talked about forever...Bottom line is, of course they are necessary, helpful etc...Of course, I have an opinion, am willing to put a part of my anatomy on the chopping block to share it (if you dish it out, ya gotta be able to take it...LOL- and you almost always see me play devil's advocate in my rants...). However, as you beautifully pointed out- and let's be fair- I did too- the plug is a great barometer of the sustainability factor in our hobby- something that is near and dear to most of us.

Frag plugs are beautiful for many reasons.

That being said, I still think they are aesthetically annoying. LOL:bounce:

Scott

 

[Battlecorals]

You know what IS really aesthetically annoying? A tank full of tiny booger sized chalices on plugs that have not had a chance to mature at all before the reefer frags them themselves. And again and again. . Yuck! How can you even call that a reef tank

 

[shornik]

frag plugs is the “pin†, and the way it projects down and creates issues for anal aquascapers

Guilty as charged! I hate these things too. And as a new reefer I used to try to remove any frags I purchased from the plug. Then I started to see a high correlation in dead coral frags that no longer were attached the plug. I think almost any LFS will remove the "pin" if you ask them, I know that UC will (even sometimes if you forget to ask, thanks Scott!).

 

[gooch]

That being said, I still think they are aesthetically annoying. LOL:bounce:

Scott

We could always design you something that annoys you less. Even put your name on it. There is always an ALTERNATIVE.

Scott
Alternative Reef,LLC

 

[gooch]

Guilty as charged! I hate these things too. And as a new reefer I used to try to remove any frags I purchased from the plug. Then I started to see a high correlation in dead coral frags that no longer were attached the plug. I think almost any LFS will remove the "pin" if you ask them, I know that UC will (even sometimes if you forget to ask, thanks Scott!).

The post on our plug snaps off very easily with a bone cutter right at the base. I can snap the pin off with one hand in all but the regular plug(I need two for that one). But my hands are like sausages from years of sculpting. If you don't want to buy a bone cutter you can get a $3-$5 wire cutter from teh hardware store. I personally love the bone cutters in the eco tech frag kit.

 

[uniquecorals]

You know what IS really aesthetically annoying? A tank full of tiny booger sized chalices on plugs that have not had a chance to mature at all before the reefer frags them themselves. And again and again. . Yuck! How can you even call that a reef tank

Oh man, I 've ranted on that one before, Adam...Please don't get me started...I could go on for days, LOL

-Scott

 

[uniquecorals]

We could always design you something that annoys you less. Even put your name on it. There is always an ALTERNATIVE.

Scott
Alternative Reef,LLC

Don't laugh, but you're on my list to call for something like that anyways, Scott...too funny! Like I said, I can hate something but still use it every day! LOL

-Scott

 

[Boggers]

This is not cost effective on the commercial end but this is what I have been doing lately. I put a pile of smaller hunks of LR in the corner of my tank. When I want to make a frag I just grab one and glue it to a small piece of rock. It should already have a little color and even some pods for the new owner. This way the frag is movable, on rock, can be glued anywhere and not look terrible, and can help bring life to even a new tank. I have a ton of it from redoing scape and a hammer to a hunk of dry rock provides many to pick from.

That being said, they do not fit in egg crate as easy so the normal frag rack is not as friendly.

 

[SeeingGreen]

This is not cost effective on the commercial end but this is what I have been doing lately. I put a pile of smaller hunks of LR in the corner of my tank. When I want to make a frag I just grab one and glue it to a small piece of rock. It should already have a little color and even some pods for the new owner. This way the frag is movable, on rock, can be glued anywhere and not look terrible, and can help bring life to even a new tank. I have a ton of it from redoing scape and a hammer to a hunk of dry rock provides many to pick from.

That being said, they do not fit in egg crate as easy so the normal frag rack is not as friendly.

You could save the stems you snip off incoming frags and glue to op side to allow frag rack holding. Then the new owner can decide on frag rack or break it off for clean scape look.

Gooch, do you make an all stems pack?

 

[Daniel@R2R]

This is not cost effective on the commercial end but this is what I have been doing lately. I put a pile of smaller hunks of LR in the corner of my tank. When I want to make a frag I just grab one and glue it to a small piece of rock. It should already have a little color and even some pods for the new owner. This way the frag is movable, on rock, can be glued anywhere and not look terrible, and can help bring life to even a new tank. I have a ton of it from redoing scape and a hammer to a hunk of dry rock provides many to pick from.

That being said, they do not fit in egg crate as easy so the normal frag rack is not as friendly.

I like this, and this is how I was doing all my frags until someone told me how ugly my method was and how much cleaner the frag plug looks than having coral glued to a piece of live rock. I figured I was the only one who liked how I was doing it, so I stopped... maybe I should start again.

 

[Rjramos]

I don't mind the smaller plugs, cut the pin if I have to. and the larger plate ones I snip off the excess and it doesn't even look like a plug when I'm done. One nice thing I like is when the coral grows beyond the plug and onto the rock, I pull the plug off, frag it, sell it, or glue it somewhere else. To say, "I hate plugs" IMO, is the equivalent of saying that an old shipwreck or coral module on the bottom of the ocean encrusted with corals everywhere is aesthetically unpleasant. In this case, the shipwreck being the unnatural man made base, encrusted with living corals, a gigantic plug but a nice one IMO, lol.

 

[Rjramos]

Here is an example of what I'm talking about. I recently stuck these plugs on a pagoda aquarium ornament. It doesn't look great now but imagine when it's all grown over! A matter of opinion, but I like it!

 

[Eienna]

I don't care for the look of plugs AT ALL either. Some of the corals don't grow right on them, either...a flat circular bump in the middle? No thank you.
I know some acro people will cut them off the plugs and re-encrust them...Might be able to do that with some of the stemmy LPS too.
I've left my corals on plugs currently because I'm not sure of my final rockscape and don't want to back myself into a corner by having corals I can't move.

 

[gooch]

Gooch, do you make an all stems pack?

We honestly throw thousands of stems away that snap off in our process. Probably a few hundred every week. But honestly if you want to use this method why not just glue the rubble to the plug itself. You have a bigger surface to glue, a flat top to prevent wobble. Then when you go to move the piece to the final resting spot you can pop off the plug and glue another piece of rubble to it. If you are into using rubble rock. Just keep reusing the plug.

 

[playin gmz]

Happy Halloween. .lol

 

[playin gmz]

Halloween frag plug

 

[tonymission]

Do you guys have a better method than using a dremel to remove the plug stems? That's what I've been doing and it can take awhile and you can also slice your finger. Ask me how I know. There has to be a better way ?

 

[laineyg6]

I get annoyed with them for a number of reasons. They are certainly convenient, but fragments of rock would be nicer looking. I currently have 3 plugs with ricordea on them where the ricordea has "crawled" off the plug and into a different location. Now, I have a plug glued to a beautiful rock. I have hacked off the "stem" of a plug on most of them, but I never thought about bone cutters. Seems like it would have to be a team sport or something. How do you hold them steady without destroying the frag?